This Italian favorite is one of the most disease resistant varieties available. It has a good resistance against Fusarium wilt and blight even in very wet weather. It produces an abundance of round, smooth, about 150 grams fruits with an excellent flavour even in the poorest of summers. This is the parent of most modern tomato varieties. Use this tomato in soups, sauces, pastasauces, salads, on sandwiches or as a snack. Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C and Lycopene. The body takes this in better when the tomatoes are heated. This plant needs support.
Indoor sowing: february - april
Germination temp: 20 - 25°C
Germination: 6 - 14 days
Sowing depth: 2 - 3 mm
Transplanting: when the seedlings are about 20 cm tall
Transplanting in garden: after the last night frosts
Plant spacing: 45 - 50 cm
Planting position: Sunny/greenhouse
Days till harvest: 60 - 90
Sow the seeds 2 - 3 mm deep in pots or in trays in a propagator in good sowing soil. You can start indoor sowing from february. Sow shallow and press the seeds gently in the soil. Tomatoes are light germinators. Keep the seeds at 20 tot 25°C. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night. Cover the seedstrays with clingfilm or a lid to retain the moisture.
Remove the clingfilm or the lid when the seedlings emerge. Transplant the seedlings, after about 10 days to separate pots. Put them in a room with a temperature of about 18 - 20°C.
In the middle of may, about a week before planting them outdoors, You can harden you seedlings of. Put them in a room with a temperature of about 15 - 18°C and reduce the amount of water for this week. After this week of hardening of You can put your plants on a sunny, sheltered spot outdoors or in a greenhouse. Make sure that there is no longer any nightfrost.
Tomatoes need some maintenance to ensure a good harvest. Give the plants a sturdy support with some sturdy and large bamboo sticks. Remove all the suckers that will form in the axils of the plant. Remove all the leaves below the lowest hanging tomatoes by the end of july till the beginning of august. Remove all the leaves of your plants together with the tops of the plants from the end of august till september to ensure the riping of the most of the green tomatoes on your plants. Harvest the tomatoes by cutting them with scissors. Tomatoes can't be kept for a long period. So use them a soon as possible after harvesting. Tomatoes used in sauces can be kept frozen to store.
